Permaculture is a design philosophy and set of techniques that aim to create sustainable, self-sufficient systems that mimic the patterns and relationships found in natural ecosystems. Permaculture food forests are a type of permaculture system that integrates trees, shrubs, herbs, and other plants in a way that mimics the structure and functions of a natural forest ecosystem. In a permaculture food forest, the plants are chosen and arranged in a way that maximizes the production of food and other resources while minimizing the need for external inputs such as water, fertilizers, and pesticide ..read more

What are Permaculture Plant Guilds Permaculture plant guilds are a key concept in permaculture design, which is a holistic approach to creating sustainable and self-sufficient systems. A plant guild is a group of plants that work together to provide a range of benefits, such as improving soil health, attracting beneficial insects, and providing food, medicine, and other resources. Permaculture plant guilds mimic the structure and function of natural ecosystems, and they can be used to design edible landscapes, agroforestry systems, and other types of sustainable agriculture. They are a key com ..read more

Composting with worms, also known as vermicomposting, is a simple and efficient way to recycle organic waste into a rich, nutrient-dense soil amendment. It is a type of composting that uses worms, usually red worms or red wriggler worms, to decompose organic matter and produce vermicast, also known as worm compost or worm castings. Vermicomposting has several advantages over traditional composting methods. It is a faster process, with worms able to break down organic material in a matter of weeks or months, rather than the several months or years that it can take for traditional composting. It ..read more

By Brook Sarson You may already know that 80% of our water is imported in San Diego County. Water managers have implemented Desalination, and PURE water (wastewater recycled to drinking water) as further diversification strategies. This is great, but expensive and energy intensive. We are missing tremendous opportunities with water that is already here, which in turn decreases the carbon footprint of our water use. The Surfrider Foundation published this great short video, The Cycle of Insanity, back in 2010 to showcase water inefficiencies in Southern California. Reducing the amount of water ..read more

By Rebecca Tasker from Simple Construct At its most basic, construction is a destructive and consumptive process. It requires getting a lot of stuff from somewhere, processing it, and putting it together in a different way. It usually involves mining, logging, milling, refining, smelting, shaping, packaging, and shipping the materials. Then it often involves cutting, nailing, mixing, spraying, coating, sanding, and the use of all manner of power tools. It is inherently destructive (no raw materials = no stuff) and consumptive (no stuff = no building). Destruction and consumption are fundamenta ..read more

Last week we made the trek up from San Diego to Sonoma County, California to connect with all things food and agriculture related. This has been somewhat of a regular event for us. The National Heirloom Seed Expo has been going on for nearly 8 years up in Santa Rosa California. Organized by the good folks from Baker Creek Seeds.  The Expo features hundreds of amazing speakers sharing knowledge on farming, seed saving/breeding/growing, as well as on many other aspects of the local foods movement like beekeeping and art. Speakers this year included some notable authors such as Jeff Lowenfel ..read more